If you talk to people you will realize that one of the most common fears is what tomorrow brings:

• Will the big one come?
• With all the tension in the world, is World War III just around the corner?
• Will I get healed of this sickness?
• Should I move to a new job?
• When will this difficult situation end?
• When will my child straighten up?

How many of us think of the future and are full of fear and anxiety?

In the Gospel, Peter, James, and John were given a great blessing. They saw a glimpse of the future, where they saw Jesus transformed, betrayed, denied, underwent passion, and died on the cross. But it did not end there – God had other plans. 

My dear friends, for all of us who have fears about the future, three things we can remember:

1. God is in Control. Our prayers may seemingly not be answered. We cry out to him day and night. We utter the words of Christ on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” But never lose hope, He is in control.
2. Avoid Divination. How we wish we knew the answer to our questions and problems. At times, nothing seems to be happening and God is quiet. What do we do? We go to a fortune teller and tell ourselves, “it won’t hurt to ask…” Avoid dealing with spirits. Avoid divination. They may give an instant answer and may be accurate, although they cannot tell the future. The spirits just want us to be away from God.
3. The only day we have is today, tomorrow is still not uncertain. Hence, let us make the best of today. While all of us have our crosses to bear, we continue to do what Christ did – “I came to serve and not to be served.” Let us continue to reach out, serve others, bless other people’s lives, share the time, talent and treasure to others. When we bring light to others, that light will surely come back to us.

In the readings, one realizes the greatest mystery of life. As a priest who has celebrated so many funeral Masses, the most difficult is when it is the parents burying the child. Very difficult and very painful. What more what Abraham had to go through. An only child that was waited for a long time and God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac? Abraham perhaps could not understand why a good God would do such a thing. Besides, he even has a promise to Abraham that he would make his descendants countless as the stars. But despite all of this he trusted God.

Even if we have the most difficult crosses in life, the mere fact God has given us today that means he has a plan and the challenge is to Trust him. As the saying goes, “I do not know what my future holds but I know who holds my future.”